welding hints/tricks/tips

[Brandon]

I have a smaller wire fed welder (Lincoln 80gl)
I have tried welding a few things here and there just trying to get the hang of it, but I don't have a clue if i'm doing really good welds or bad welds. I know a good weld is supposed to look like a bunch of nickles or dimes or fish scales kidn of overlaping each other.

all i get is alot of brown around the areas in which im working and alot of spladder *my welder doesnt have a gas shield*

i keep the wire feed at around 5ish and on high voltage since everything i have been working on is thicker metal (around 1/8th to 1/4") i guess the welder is only good to 1/8"

any hints or tips and tricks?
ive watched some on you tube and ive seen the thread of what not to do on here a while back.

 

[jblomenberg16]

I'm an amature welder that is pretty well self taught, so I'm by no means an expert. I did have a certified welder help me get started though and show me a few basics. All of my welding has been on a Miller Wire feed.


The keys to good welds are pretty universal though. Clean surfaces to weld, and the right amount of heat to fuse the weld material and the base materials.


When you start your weld, is it cracking and popping when you strike the arc rather than a fairly consistent flow of metal? I could always tell when I was getting good welds when there was less popping and more of a fried egg sound.


With thick metal, you can go higher on the heat, but with thinner metal you have to be careful you don't blow through. I got to the point to where I was able to weld new floor pans in a car restoration I was doing, which was probably about 1/16" thick metal welding to a 1/8" flange on the frame.

 

[6birds]

Where are you?

 

[Brandon]

i get alot of popping and not the more constant. but when i do get the constant buzzing, ive noticed nicer welds.

ive been told my welder is to small (on the amps) a couple of co-workers said it should be atleast 130 amps.. mine is only 80

im on the far east side of indy.

 

[redneckmedic]

Tag

 

[DaKruiser]

Brandon you will be surprised what that little welder will do. I've done alot with a welder just like you have. Just play around with some scrap, adjust your speed and heat. One thing I will add, You dont want to much heat. You can burn up steel and make it brittle.

If your ever down my way I would be glad to help you out.

 

[HandK]

i get alot of popping and not the more constant. but when i do get the constant buzzing, ive noticed nicer welds.

ive been told my welder is to small (on the amps) a couple of co-workers said it should be atleast 130 amps.. mine is only 80

im on the far east side of indy.

If you don't have a gas shielded mig, flux core wire works best! also grind the area that you want to weld! Migs don't like paint or rust! good ground! you should be able to see the back side of the weld read hot, showing that you have good penetration! if its popping allot turn your wire speed up some and also the amp up so it burns hotter! Hope this helps!

 

[ISHOOTHST'S]

MIG Welding Tutorial, Techniques and Practical

 

[PaulJF]

I have a smaller wire fed welder (Lincoln 80gl)
I have tried welding a few things here and there just trying to get the hang of it, but I don't have a clue if i'm doing really good welds or bad welds. I know a good weld is supposed to look like a bunch of nickles or dimes or fish scales kidn of overlaping each other.

all i get is alot of brown around the areas in which im working and alot of spladder *my welder doesnt have a gas shield*

i keep the wire feed at around 5ish and on high voltage since everything i have been working on is thicker metal (around 1/8th to 1/4") i guess the welder is only good to 1/8"

any hints or tips and tricks?
ive watched some on you tube and ive seen the thread of what not to do on here a while back.

I have over 17 years experience welding.
First, when mig welding, you should have a smooth weld with a slight crown. The "fish scale" look is usually associated with TIG welding and is caused by the introduction of filler rod with your offhand. Feeding the rod into the arc and backsweeping the torch to integrate the puddle into the weld.
Make sure your piece is clean and free of oils. A proper ground is crucial.
If you are not using a gas shield, you must use flux core wire. I suggest starting with a scrap piece of metal to set your welder. Begin by building a puddle in a small circle. Adjust your wire speed until you achieve the proper fried egg sound. For a basic fillet weld or groove weld, just think if drawing a straight line with a steady movement, keeping your angle consistent throughout the weld.
I hope this helps, it would be much easier to show you. Anyone can weld with practice, buy not everyone can be a good welder.

 

[Rookie]

Without even looking at your weld, I'm going to tell you to slow down. If your weld has a sharp high peak, it's because you're welding too fast. Also, if you notice you have a good flow and then it starts popping, you've sped up. I always work out of the puddle instead of pushing into it. Example: I'm left handed so I weld left to right with the wire pointing right.

Forget the stacked dimes look. You can do it with a wire welder by doing multiple spot welds, but your weld won't be as strong.

 

[ATOMonkey]

When you first start your weld, don't move the torch. Hold the torch until you see the puddle form, then begin to move slowly.

If you have a small welder with a low duty cycle, you'll have to let the welder cool down in between small passes or else it just automatically lowers the heat setting and you get cold welds. It wouldn't be so bad if it slowed down the feed too, but that's not the case.

If you need to weld over the top of your welds, hold the torch in one spot until you see the old weld melt and puddle out, then you can begin moving your torch.

Good luck!

 

[Brandon]

Thank you guys for the help! and the offer to come over and help!
i think i know where im starting to mess up.
sounds like im moving to fast and not letting a puddle build up a little at the very beginning.

other problem is im out of projects and time to work on them for a few weeks

i have found that the few things ive messed with as hard as i can try to break them, i havent been able to. still not a pretty looking weld, but they hold

 

[jeremy]

Practice...

 

[gunsisgood]

any hints or tips and tricks?

Ivy Tech has some pretty good courses in welding, sign up and you will be off to a good start. Otherwise leave the welding to someone else.

 

[Brandon]

Ivy Tech has some pretty good courses in welding, sign up and you will be off to a good start. Otherwise leave the welding to someone else.

I was done with ivy tech 4 years ago when i got my second degree.
not sure why i would leave the welding to someone else

sorry that i want to try and learn something new and decided to ask for help.

 

[bjames]

I've been welding for several years, fabricating with everything from mild steel to titanium, both mig and tig welding. Patience is by far a very important thing. Don't give up! Many people on here have it right. Your material has to be clean. That is one of the biggest reasons most people have issues welding. I personally prefer gas mig welding over the flux core. Given your brownish color welds I'd say you have the wrong wire. The sound needs to sound more like frying bacon vs. the fried egg. That's just me though.

Remember, Practice, Practice, Practice. My theory for the first few months was it doesn't have to be pretty, just strong, and if you can't break your welds you must be doing something right. Best of Luck. The people who think you shouldn't try are just jealous because they don't have a welder to use.

 

[jontheturboguy]

Sent you an email Brandon.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Thank you guys for the help! and the offer to come over and help!
i think i know where im starting to mess up.
sounds like im moving to fast and not letting a puddle build up a little at the very beginning.

other problem is im out of projects and time to work on them for a few weeks

i have found that the few things ive messed with as hard as i can try to break them, i havent been able to. still not a pretty looking weld, but they hold

My welds (I am a beginner too) are ugly as all sin (I won't be welding any of my guns), but my grinder is my friend It pretties them up rather well. I have a similar hobby welder from harbor freight and believe it or not, with patience, I have been able to weld half inch bar with it successfully (in the sense that it will not break). It works well enough for me to fabricate the tools and such that I need to finish something without buying "GM PART NUMBER...". My father was a welder for a LONG time at the St Paul Ship Yard in MN and he is there with advice when I call him, the most important thing he told me is this:
You aren't soldering, the wire isn't there to "fill", but only to create the arc so the surfaces will melt and fuse.

 

[hornadylnl]

I'd hate to guess how many thousands of pounds of .045 wire I've burnt in my 6 years of production welding. GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) is by far the easiest to weld as your puddle is in full vision. The key is to watch the puddle and what it's doing. You have to aim your wire in certain areas for different types of welds. You want to put your wire on a non edge. The edge of steel will melt easier than the middle of a piece of steel will. With anything flux coated or cored, you want to pull away from the puddle. With hard wire and gas, you want to push. With an 80 amp welder, you are going to have to go really slow steel with any thickness to it. If you are doing a butt joint (2 pieces of steel edge to edge) you'll want to put a small gap inbetween them to get better penetration.

After you've burnt up a few thousand pounds of wire, you can move on to more difficult welds like a 3G vertical up.